Juniper cuttings

[october]

How thick are the whips you plan to layer? I have rooted pencil-thick Itoigawa cuttings, with enough roots in 6 months to move them from the cutting flat to individual pots.

I take juniper cuttings pretty much all year, with best success in spring and fall. Spring cuttings are usually rooted by fall. Interestingly, fall cuttings are usually rooted by the following fall too, and will stay green for quite a while without roots.

I am running an experiment on a large shimpaku cutting, and have a "control" branch removed at the same time just laying on the ground next to the potted cutting. After 3 weeks, both are still very green.

No winter protection here, but probably necessary up there.

I am currently doing something similar. I have a cutting that is 2 -3 times the size of a normal juniper cutting. If all goes well, I am going to post results in another month.

Rob

 

[october]

I rooted a near 1 inch arborvitae cutting in my house. However, it was in a climate controlled room originally for reptiles and amphibians. Temps constantly around 80 and controlled humidity. The cutting was kept in a plastic tote without the lid. It received light from a window and was misted several times a day. The run off would stay on the bottom of the tote creating more humidity, but the cutting was not in water. The juniper cutting I am doing now is larger than the arborviate one.

Here is the arborviate one.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

For fun...
Itoigawa cuttings at third, second, and first year. Notice how the mature foliage creeps in during the second year, and by the third, it's nearly all mature.

 

[fore]

How thick are the whips you plan to layer? I have rooted pencil-thick Itoigawa cuttings, with enough roots in 6 months to move them from the cutting flat to individual pots.

I take juniper cuttings pretty much all year, with best success in spring and fall. Spring cuttings are usually rooted by fall. Interestingly, fall cuttings are usually rooted by the following fall too, and will stay green for quite a while without roots.

I am running an experiment on a large shimpaku cutting, and have a "control" branch removed at the same time just laying on the ground next to the potted cutting. After 3 weeks, both are still very green.

No winter protection here, but probably necessary up there.

I'd think no larger than a pencil, so 6 mos to root. Thanks.

Don't you have to mist those cuttings to be successful Brian? vs. just keeping a pot watered for an air layer? Thinking of ease and success rate. So interesting experiment, and surprising to me.

Rob, very fun little project tree

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Chris, yes you do need to mist the cuttings, but not much more often than you have to mist or water the trees anyway. I have a spot in a corner of my garden that gets a little morning sunlight, and then shade all day, no wind, and the humidity stays a little higher. It's been a good spot to propagate cuttings. I keep a crate of soil there, and when the cuttings take off, I shift them to pots or my full sun growing bed.

 

[fore]

Chris, yes you do need to mist the cuttings, but not much more often than you have to mist or water the trees anyway. I have a spot in a corner of my garden that gets a little morning sunlight, and then shade all day, no wind, and the humidity stays a little higher. It's been a good spot to propagate cuttings. I keep a crate of soil there, and when the cuttings take off, I shift them to pots or my full sun growing bed.

I might just try cuttings too next yr just to see if I can do it. Thanks for the info Brian!

 

[chief_nobody]

Would California junipers be any different from other junipers when it comes to this?

 

[pmalelis]

I emailed Brent from Evergreen regarding this topic, and late cuttings particularly in my zone. So I figured I'd share. He stated that even non rooted cuttings that were taken late require the cold, but said to best keep them in garage or coldframe 20-40 degrees. Then afer that come spring they can remain outdoors.

 

[bonsaibp]

Would California junipers be any different from other junipers when it comes to this?

They will grow from cuttings but will take yours and and childrens childern lifetimes to grow to any size then add a few hundred years and you'll start to get the character we look for in CA Juniper bonsai.

 

[Dav4]

Dirr has great write up on juniper propagation via cutting in his "manual of woody landscape plants". He feels a higher level of success will be seen if cutting are taken after the parent plant has been exposed to frosts. I don't have the book in front of me, but if I recall correctly, cuttings struck in December through April had a significantly higher likelyhood of taking verses other times of year. In the last two years, I've attempted shimpaku cuttings in February and March, no bottom heat or additional protection, rootone powder applied....greater then 90% success.

 

[bonsaiBlake]

Dirr has great write up on juniper propagation via cutting in his "manual of woody landscape plants". He feels a higher level of success will be seen if cutting are taken after the parent plant has been exposed to frosts. I don't have the book in front of me, but if I recall correctly, cuttings struck in December through April had a significantly higher likelyhood of taking verses other times of year. In the last two years, I've attempted shimpaku cuttings in February and March, no bottom heat or additional protection, rootone powder applied....greater then 90% success.

Would this also be the right timeframe to start air layers on junipers, if not when is the best time to apply air layers relative to grow cycle/season?

 

[Dav4]

Would this also be the right timeframe to start air layers on junipers, if not when is the best time to apply air layers relative to grow cycle/season?

Air layers are best applied at the beginning of the growing season. You could start one now and it will probably take, but the further into the growing season the less time you have for roots to form.